From the first note sprung from fiddle strings, this compilation of instrumental wedding music inspires an impassioned sense of timelessness. What more can one ask for in wedding music?

With skillful players rounding out her ensemble -- Ken Darby on mandolin, octave mandolin and guitar; Dorothy Hawkinson on fiddle and hardingfele; Steve McArthur on accordion and guitar; John Roos on bodhran and other percussion; and Tom Sharkey on guitar -- Anne Roos manages to capture the tone and mood of a perfect wedding celebration.

Featuring Celtic songs both familiar and soon to be beloved, Haste to the Wedding includes prelude music of "Red is the Rose," "Bridget Cruise (Second and Third Airs)," "Black is the Colour," "The Lark in the Clear Air," "Ay Waukin O!" and "My Lagan Love." Accompaniments for the processional are "Manx Courting Song," "The Gentle Maiden," "Give Me Your Hand" and "Star of the County Down." "Bridget Cruise (First and Fourth Airs)" "She Moved Through the Fair" and "Women of Ireland" comprise background selections for the ceremony. "Kitty's Wedding," "Mairi's Wedding," "Corn Rigs are Bonnie/Star of the County Down (March Version)" and "The Foxhunter's Jig/Haste to the Wedding" mark the recessional with a sense of jubilation and lively celebration. These songs flow from the fingers of Roos and her ensemble naturally, like an age-old breeze.

Having been in the market for a compilation of Celtic selections to add spirit and flavour to my own upcoming wedding, I need look no further. Roos has filled the bill in a most spectacular, memorable way. A perfect musical complement to any wedding!

[ by Lynne Remick ]